HC Deb 06 May 1929 vol 227 cc1925-8

The following Notice of Motion stood upon the Paper in the name of the CHAIRMAN OF WAYS AND MEANS:

STANDING ORDERS FOR THE SUSPENSION OF PRIVATE BILLS OR BILLS TO CONFIRM ANY PROVISIONAL ORDER OR CERTIFICATE.

That the promoters of every Private Bill or Bill to confirm any Provisional Order or Certificate which shall have originated in this House or been brought from the House of Lords in the present Session of Parliament shall have leave to suspend any further proceeding thereon in order to proceed with the same, if they shall think fit, in the next Session of Parliament, provided that notice of their intention to do so be given in the Committee and Private Bill Office not later than the day before the close of the present Session, and that all fees thereon due up to that period be paid:

That not later than five o'clock on the third day on which the House shall sit after the next meeting of Parliament, every such Bill which has originated in this House shall be deposited in the Committee and Private Bill Office, with a declaration annexed thereto, signed in the case of a Private Bill by the agent, and in the case of a Provisional Order Bill by an officer of the Department by which the Orders to be confirmed by such Bill were made, stating that the Bill is the same, in every respect, as the Bill with respect to which proceedings have been so suspended at the last stage of its proceeding in this House in the present Session; and, where any sum of money has been deposited, that such deposit has not been withdrawn, together with a certificate of that fact from the proper officer of the Court in which such money is deposited; and, as soon as conveniently may be in the next Session of Parliament, every such Bill shall be laid by one of the Clerks in the Committee and Private Bill Office upon the Table of the House:

That every Bill so laid upon the Table shall be deemed to have been read the First time; and shall be read a Second time if such Bill shall have been read a Second time previously to its being suspended; and, if such Bill shall have been reported by any Committee in the present Session, the Committee stage shall be dispensed with and the Bill ordered to lie upon the Table, or to be read the Third time, as the case may be:

That in case any Bill brought from the House of Lords in the present Session, upon which the proceedings shall have been suspended in this House shall be brought from the House of Lords in the next Session of Parliament, a declaration signed as aforesaid stating that the Bill is the same in every respect as the Bill which was brought from the House of Lords in the present Session, and, where any sum of money has been deposited, that such deposit has not been withdrawn, together with a certificate of that fact from the proper officer, shall be deposited in the Committee and Private Bill Office before the First Reading of such Bill; and, provided that such deposit has been duly made, such Bill shall be read the First time and be further proceeded with in the same manner as Bills introduced into this House during the present Session, with this modification that if any such Bill shall have been amended in this House in the present Session, such Amendments shall be deemed to have been made in Committee and the Bill, as amended, shall be ordered to lie upon the Table or, if the Bill shall have been ordered to be read the Third time in the present Session, or to be read the Third time.

That the Standing Orders by which the proceedings on Bills are regulated shall not apply to any such Bill in regard to any of the stages through which the same shall have passed during the present Session, and that no further fees be charged in respect of such stages:

That all Petitions presented in the present Session against any such Bill which stood referred to the Committee on the Bill shall stand referred to the Committee on the same Bill in the next Session of Parliament; and that all notices and grounds of objection to the right of Petitioners to be heard within the time prescribed by the Rules of the Referees relating to such notices shall be held applicable in the next Session of Parliament:

That no Petitioners shall be heard before the Committee on such Bills unless their petition shall have been presented within the time limited in the present Session:

That, in case the time limited for presenting petitions against any such Bill shall not have expired at the close of the present Session, petitioners may be heard before the Committee on such Bill, provided their petition be presented previous to or not later than seven clear days after the next meeting of Parliament:

That all Instructions to Committees on Private Bills in the present Session, which shall be suspended previously to their being reported by any Committee, be Instructions to the Committee on the same Bills in the next Session:

That all Standing Orders complied with in respect of any Public Bill introduced, or intended to be introduced, during the present Session shall be held applicable to any Bill for the same objects introduced in the next Session, and where the Examiner has already reported upon the compliance with the Standing Orders in respect of any such Bill he shall only report in the next Session whether any further Standing Orders are applicable:

That the said Orders be Standing Orders of the House.

The CHAIRMAN of WAYS and MEANS (Mr. James Hope)

This Motion appears to be of a very formidable character, but, as a matter of fact, it is not. It is simply in accordance with precedents, when Bills at the end of a Parliament have not succeeded in getting through both Houses. It is not certain how many Bills there will be this time. Perhaps there will be eighteen or twenty at the end of this week. The object of the Motion is, with one very important exception, to keep Private Bills as they are at the moment when Parliament ceases to be; that is to say, if a Bill in this House has not had its Second Reading, it must have its Second Reading. If it has been sent to a Committee and the Committee has not reported, it will have to go through that stage again. If a Bill has been reported and has not had Third Reading, if will have to get its Third Reading.

There is one important exception, however, and that is the case of a Bill which has been through this House and has gone to another place. Under the terms of this Motion, that Bill will not pass away from the jurisdiction of this House; it will have to come up again in the next Parliament for Third Reading. It will be deemed to have passed its Second Reading and to have gone through Committee, but the House will still have the power either to refuse it a Third Reading or, if they wish it, to re-commit it. I do not know whether a contingency of that character is likely to arise.

This procedure was followed in 1918, 1910, 1895 and 1892. On other occasions, there were no Bills that had to be brought forward. I think there is nothing new or exceptional about the Motion, and, as I have said, it does not deprive this House of jurisdiction over any Private Bills brought in this Session. Of course, if hon. Members do not wish the matter to be taken now, I can easily postpone it until 7.30 some evening.

Mr. THURTLE

In order that we may safeguard our rights and have time for further consideration, I beg to object.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Date when Closure moved, and by whom. Question before House or Committee when moved. Whether in House or Committee. Whether assent given to Motion or withheld by Speaker or Chairman. Assent withheld because, in the opinion of the Chair, a decision would shortly be arrived at without that Motion. Result of Motion and, if a Division, Numbers for and against.

Consideration deferred until Wednesday, 8th May, at half-past seven o'clock.